Scotland: Isle of Skye

Great-Britain, Scotland: The Isle of SkyeGeology and a moist atmosphere have conspired to make the Misty Isle the most spectacular of all the Scottish islands. Sixty million years ago it was formed from lava that welled up from the widening Atlantic as Europe and America started to drift apart. Everywhere on Skye hikers can marvel at the legacy of this dramatic past: in the imposing Cuillin Mountains, on black basaltic shores and between the bizarre pinnacles of the Trotternish Peninsula.

From the circular wall of Dun Beag Broch near Bracadale you have a fine view of the west coast of Skye. Brochs were tower-like buildings and may have had defensive purposes, but their exact function is still unclear. The foreground of the picture shows a bee-hive cell set into the thickness of the more than 2000 year old wall. It may have been used as storage room. Photo Mick Palarczyk.